Perhaps you have heard - arginine and lysine are two amino acids (protein fractions) found in foods that have a significant effect on cold sores.

Arginine and lysine work in the following way.

Cold sore outbreaks are caused by the reproduction of the herpes simplex virus type 1 or type 2. This very tiny virus enters a nerve cell on your lip (or nose) and forces that cell to create virus copies. The cell, when full, is destroyed to release the new virus. This creates the visible cold sore.

Herpes simplex virus is pure protein and arginine is the main building block needed to create new herpes virus. Your cells have a specific storage area where it stores additional arginine.

The same receptors are used to store lysine. Lysine is a protein that cannot be used to create new virus.

If you have a diet rich in lysine, your cells will discard some arginine to store more lysine. The herpes virus, looking to clone itself, will avoid the cells that cannot support the cloning process.

A high lysine content in your cells often causes the herpes virus to give up and return to hibernation. You have just prevented a cold sore. Quite often you won't even know it.

These are a few of the foods to avoid with cold sores. Arginine levels are higher than lysine levels in these selections.

---- Chocolate (ouch)

---- Nuts such as almonds, walnuts, pecans, peanuts

---- Most seeds such as sunflower, pumpkin and sesame

---- Any seafood that has a shell such as shrimp and oysters

---- Most cereal grains including wheat

---- Oranges, grapes and other fruits and berries

---- Many vegetables are ok, however onions, peas, brussel sprouts, and squash are high in arginine.

Fact is - it can be hard to avoid certain foods. Some should not be avoided. You will notice many of the foods on the avoid list have a high nutritional value and are important for your optimal health. You probably would not hurt yourself by avoiding these foods for just a week or so.

However, for optimal health, you should not avoid these foods for any length of time. Do not use avoidance of these foods as a method to prevent cold sores. To do so could weaken your immune system. This could actually cause more cold sores, rather than less.

An excellent alternative solution to avoiding foods you love is to increase your lysine during your cold sore event. Increasing intake of lysine will also help prevent future cold sores.

Here are some high lysine foods that are good any time you have a cold sore. They are especially good for balancing out some of the foods to avoid with cold sores.

Fish (flounder is super-rich in lysine), chicken, beef, eggs, apples, papaya, beets, and all dairy products. Cheeses and yogurt are very rich in lysine. These will provide a preferred lysine to arginine ratio of 2 to 1.

Yes, I realize following a restricted diet is difficult for most people. Also, dairy products may be rich in lysine but cannot be tolerated by some folks. Fact is, I have not followed these avoidance guidelines very good myself.

The best solution, for your convenience and good health, might be taking an additional lysine supplement. It generally comes in 500 mg. capsules and is available nearly anywhere vitamins are sold. Many folks take six to eight of these capsules a day during a cold sore and one or two capsules daily to prevent cold sores.

Is lysine safe to take in large quantity?

Lysine is a common protein in most foods and is perfectly safe. A six-ounce serving of flounder, mentioned previously, will give you about 5000 mg. (5 grams) of body-ready lysine. The capsule form of lysine is not as absorbable but is much easier for many people.

Yes - you can have your chocolate and eat it too. Keep in mind that you just need to increase your lysine intake to heal or prevent cold sores and balance out those high arginine foods to avoid with cold sores.